Now the shock has really sunk in, it's time to reflect and contemplate what this recent Conservative Party win really means for UK small businesses. A majority government was never on the cards - we were all sure we'd be experiencing a hung parliament but to our surprise, the Tories prevailed. One of the main stimulators behind their success, in my opinion, was their ability to win the business vote by encouraging businesses' ambitions and aspirations.
On the other hand, Labour made the error of not placing enough importance on business, thus ostracising the business community. Business owners feel like a Labour government might negatively impact future growth and success; thoughts reiterated by both Tony Blair and Alan Sugar recently.
It was great to see so many people engaged with the campaign trail as politics really captured the nation throughout this election. An unwelcomed ambience of uncertainty during the campaign meant that businesses were on tenterhooks - worried about the outcome and how it would affect their business rates, tax, funding and potential for growth.
So, what does a Conservative majority mean for our community of small businesses? Firstly, I've been told an immediate effect business owners are experiencing is a united feeling of relief; relief of finally knowing who's in Government and relief that we're not entering a hung parliament. Businesses want stability and security - uncertainty doesn't nurture this, it neglects it.
Now the Tories are in power, businesses will be looking to reap the rewards of Cameron's promises by seeing red tape cut, business rates reformed and start-up capital provided.
The question is, will this Government really make a difference for SME's? We all saw Cameron position the party as the one for business, consistently referring to SME's as 'the lifeblood of the economy' so it will interesting to see how dedicated Conservatives will be to addressing important issues we face.
If the recent appointment of Anna Soubry is anything to go by, I'd say we're heading down the right track. There's absolutely no denying the significance of our SME community when you have a Minister dedicated to ensuring decisions made in cabinet are in the interest of small businesses. Soubry holds the first ever 'Minister for Small Business' title - something the FSB have campaigned for rigorously - and will be making sure entrepreneurship continues to thrive under our new Government. Always one to speak her mind, I'm feeling confident that Soubry has the voice, tenacity and impetus to put forward ideas from the grassroots which will really be heard during future cabinet meetings. The way I see it, her voice is our voice and this is the first step towards building an economy that has British entrepreneurs at its heart.
This week Sajid Javid announced new measures to support entrepreneurs and job creation in his first speech as Business Secretary. Cutting red tape by £10billion would make an almighty impact on the growth of small businesses and I hope this rhetoric has lit the flame for a future all-encompassing entrepreneurial Britain. This is the start of a very exciting journey for us all.